FORTUNECancer cells are nasty little anarchists. They go where they shouldn’t, subvert authority, co-opt law-abiding cells around them, and break a ton of biological rules in their mindless quest for destruction.
They’re also weird. And one of the most bizarre examples of their rule breaking is how they metabolize sugar. When oxygen is readily available, as it is in the human body, normal cells break down and extract energy from glucose through a process called oxidation.READ MORE

Business InsiderIf you aced your SATs, you can thank at least a few of your genes. Scientist analyzed the DNA of 78,308 people. They discovered a link between intelligence and 52 specific genes.
The better individuals did in broad intelligence tests, the more frequently these genes appeared. But researchers aren't sure what the correlations mean because they don't know exactly what each gene does.READ MORE

News-Medical.netHuman populations vary vastly in skin tones. European populations have been studied and some of the genes that determine skin color have been found. A latest study in a varied African population has found the specific and new genetic variants that could determine skin color and skin pigmentation. The study report is published in the journal Science.READ MORE

Chalmers University of Technology via ScienceDailyResearchers at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have found several previously unknown genes that make bacteria resistant to last-resort antibiotics. The genes were found by searching large volumes of bacterial DNA and the results are published in the scientific journal Microbiome.READ MORE

HealthDay NewsDifferences in insurance are a major reason why black women are more likely to die of breast cancer than white women in the United States, a new study contends.
"We found that differences in insurance explained one-third of the total excess risk of death in non-elderly black women compared to white women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, while differences in tumor characteristics explained approximately one-fifth of the excess risk," lead study author Ahmedin Jemal, of the American Cancer Society (ACS), and colleagues wrote.READ MORE

HealthDay News via WebMDSurgery is the main treatment for melanoma — a dangerous form of skin cancer — but a patient's insurance could affect whether or not that cancer is quickly removed, new research suggests.
After reviewing thousands of melanoma cases, researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center reported that patients with Medicaid were more likely to face delays in scheduling their surgery than those with private insurance.READ MORE

The Washington PostFor babies, the benefits of breast-feeding are clear: a stronger immune system, reduced risk for some chronic health conditions and a closer bond with mom. But does breast-feeding also protect women against breast cancer?
Nursing has been linked to a reduced risk of breast cancer in both pre- and post-menopausal women. But, says Virginia Borges, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center’s young women’s breast cancer program, “it gets complicated from here.” READ MORE

CNNAbout 1 in 9 American men is infected with the oral form of human papillomavirus (HPV), according to a new study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Nationwide, rates for oral HPV infections are 11.5 percent of men and 3.2 percent of women: 11 million men, compared with 3.2 million women, the researchers estimated.READ MORE

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia via ScienceDailyResearchers investigating pediatric low-grade gliomas, the most common type of brain tumor in children, have discovered key biological differences in how mutated genes combine with other genes to drive this childhood cancer. By shedding light on subtle distinctions in tumor biology, these findings offer clues to designing more effective anticancer treatments to precisely target tumors in individual patients.READ MORE

MedCity NewsMachine learning promises to dramatically improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare, bringing us closer to the kind of personalized medicine that not only can substantially improve preventive care, but also bring the right treatment to the right individuals at the right time. We’re seeing growing application in medical imaging analysis, along with tools that use artificial intelligence to improve medication adherence and follow-up care.READ MORE

CNBCBald is beautiful — if you're Dwayne Johnson, Daddy Warbucks or a newborn baby. But if you're among the 50 million men and 30 million women in the United States experiencing complete or partial loss of hair, the condition, can cause feelings ranging from embarrassment to great concern. Throughout history, hair has been an important factor in the self-image human beings have of themselves and of the image they present to others.READ MORE

The Philadelphia InquirerFor Americans suffering the aches and disability of aging and injury, chiropractors such as Trent Ryan say they have a cutting-edge solution: stem cells.
At a recent event billed as an “educational seminar” at the Chadds Ford Historical Society, Ryan told 25 people in their 60s to 90s that injections of their own bone-marrow stem cells could repair arthritic knees and creaky spines — without the pain and complications of conventional surgery, addictive painkillers, steroids, or physical therapy.READ MORE

Medical XpressDelivering breast cancer screening results in a day instead of today's standard two weeks is being proposed by an ESA incubator start-up company using paperless technology and online image transfers. Screening vans are already on the streets. "By applying online connectivity to mobile scanning units we have the potential to radically overhaul mobile breast screening in the U.K.," notes Viv Barrett of DEOS Consultancy, a start-up from ESA's business incubator in Harwell, U.K.READ MORE

MedPage TodayMedical technology is ever-changing, and today medical professionals look to developers and inventors to help make their jobs easier and save patients' lives.
With new apps and devices flooding the marketplace, MedPage Today invites you into medicine's version of the "wayback machine" for a look at devices that were once as cutting-edge as the latest Apple Watch heart monitor.READ MORE

Becker's Hospital ReviewEleven of 18 Next Generation ACOs generated shared savings in 2016 while seven saw losses, according to data CMS released Friday.
ACOs participating in the Next Generation model are veterans of the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the Pioneer ACO Model. The Next Generation program requires taking on more financial risk than other ACO models. However, it also offers a bigger payoff. READ MORE

Modern HealthcareAccountable care organizations are participating more and more in risk-based contracts, but that progress has been stalled by sluggish care-delivery changes, a new survey suggests.
Roughly 50 percemt of ACOs are involved in at least one downside risk contract, such as shared savings and capitation contracts, according to a Leavitt Partners and National Association of ACOs report recently published in Health Affairs.READ MORE

EndgadgetSurgeons are trained to accurately operate on you when you need it, but robotic assistants could help them get to hard-to-reach areas and boost their accuracy even more. Senhance, the robotic surgical assistant that has just earned the FDA's approval, was designed to accomplish both of those. READ MORE

NBC NewsMisty Lovelace of Alexandria, Kentucky, had never clearly seen her mother’s face. She’d never seen stars.
But all that changed when the 18-year-old got an experimental gene therapy treatment that not only stopped her from going blind, but gave her back much of the vision she'd lost to an incurable genetic disease.READ MORE

USA TodayFor all the headlines about “dismantling Obamacare,” President Donald Trump’s executive order will likely have less of an impact than its supporters hope or critics fear. Still, it represents a modest step toward giving consumers more choices and expanding millions of Americans’ access to lower cost insurance that better fits their individual needs.
First, understand what this order is not. It neither takes anyone’s insurance away nor removes protections for people with pre-existing conditions.READ MORE

NAMCP UPDATES

The Medical Advisory Board for the US Hereditary Angioedema Association (HAEA), a non-profit charitable organization, writes letter to health plans to draw attention to the negative impact that ongoing product outages has had on HAE patients. The letter specifically outlines the situation and urges health plans to revisit their clinical criteria for HAE product approvals during this dangerous period. Click here to view the letter.

Seattle Genetics today announced that the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to ADCETRIS (brentuximab vedotin) in combination with chemotherapy for the frontline treatment of patients with advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma. Click here to read the full press release.

Findings published in the peer-reviewed journal Managed Care showed that prognostic information provided by the Biodesix® VeriStrat test can improve care for lung cancer patients and assist physicians in meeting several quality measures associated with the Oncology Care Model (OCM) payment program. Click here to view the article.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is proud to announce that VYXEOS has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of adults with therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) or AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC). Please click here for more information.

Puma Biotechnology, Inc. today announced that the U.S. FDA has approved NERLYNX™ (neratinib), a once-daily oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor for the extended adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early stage HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer, following adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy. Please click here for more details and the full press release.

Join Zitter Health Insights’ (ZHI) research panel and earn honoraria - paid directly to you or to your favorite charity. ZHI provides innovative insights that help optimize patient access to pharmaceuticals. We work for and with life science companies, specialty pharmacies and managed healthcare organizations across the US. For nearly 30 years, our syndicated research and expertise have helped customers solve market access challenges. This research helps IDNs exercise greater influence over how the pharmaceutical industry approaches and interacts with them. We are recruiting IDN executives to participate in our research and your knowledge is paramount to providing key stakeholders with insights into the challenging issues involved with pharmaceutical access. We look forward to your participation in this important dialogue. Yes, I’d like to learn more and participate!

CVS Health today announced the company will launch Reduced Rx™, a prescription savings program that will offer discounts on certain medications – through CVS Health’s pharmacy benefits manager, CVS Caremark – directly to patients. The program will help patients with high out of pocket costs afford essential medications. Novo Nordisk will participate in the prescription savings program. Through this program, CVS Health and Novo Nordisk will offer Novolin R®, Novolin N® and Novolin 70/30® human insulin at a cost of $25 per 10ml vial, which reflects a potential savings of as much as $100 for cash paying patients. Click here for more information.

Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc. is a rapidly emerging biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative therapies utilizing the Medici Drug Delivery System™ – therapies that have the potential to transform the prevention and management of serious chronic diseases. Across chronic diseases, medication non-adherence can compromise clinical outcomes and drive excess cost to the healthcare system. Intarcia is working to address this problem through innovative technologies. We invite you to visit our website to learn more.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued positive guidance recommending the use of the HeartFlow FFRct Analysis to help determine the cause of stable chest pain in patients. The HeartFlow FFRct Analysis is the first non-invasive technology to provide insight into both the extent of coronary artery disease and the impact that disease has on blood flow to the heart, aiding clinicians in selecting an appropriate treatment. Please click here to view the full press release.

Last month, Novo Nordisk received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for the New Drug Application (NDA) for Xultophy® 100/3.6. Xultophy® 100/3.6 is a combination of insulin degludec and liraglutide, indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus inadequately controlled on basal insulin or liraglutide. The FDA has required Novo Nordisk to distribute the safety notice as part of the Xultophy® 100/3.6 REMS program. Click Here for the Letter. Click Here for the fact sheet.

Courtagen Life Sciences, Inc., an innovative molecular information company focused on providing genetic diagnoses for neurological conditions through next generation sequencing, offers a broad range of genetic testing panels for epilepsy, including recently-added epiSEEK® Spotlight Panels designed to target genes that have been reported in association with specific phenotypes for epilepsy and seizure disorders. Please click here for more information.

Based on published clinical data, Humana, Medical Mutual of Ohio and Preferred One independently determined and published policies stating that Biodesix’ VeriStrat® test can be considered medically necessary for patients with advanced NSCLC. The VeriStrat test provides physicians with prognostic and predictive information to inform treatment of advanced NSCLC, and can facilitate patient-physician conversations about prognosis, life expectancy, and treatment recommendations. Click here for more information.